The Geography of the Puranas c9.1

c9.1

ALL the Purāṇas agree that this major region of Jambū Dwīpa extended from the eastern margin of Ilāvṛta to the eastern seaboard and was bounded by the Nila range in the north, the Niṣadha range in the south and Devakūṭa in the west. Its area was approximately the same as that of Ketumāla and slightly less than that of Bhāratavarṣa or Uttara Kuru. This region can be easily located with the help of the topographical details given in the Purāṇas. The Purāṇic accounts, discussed below, lead one to the conclusion that it was identical with the basins of the Tarim and Hwangho rivers, i.e., the whole of Sinkiang and Northern China (see Fig. 11).